


Christmas

by gekidasa



Category: Kamen Rider Ryuki
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-22
Updated: 2010-01-22
Packaged: 2017-10-15 22:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/165596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gekidasa/pseuds/gekidasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinji isn't sure what plans to make with Miho for Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [riverbanks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/riverbanks/gifts).



> No real spoilers. Although you've probably finished Ryuki if you know Miho. Also, it's an alternate timeline.

"Oi, Shinji, I assume you have plans on Christmas Eve?"

"Eh?" Shinji looked up and across the office at Editor-In-Chief Ookubo, confusion plain on his face. "Plans?"

"With Miho," Ookubo continued. "A date."

"Eeeeeh? Date?"

"You don't have plans for a date with your girlfriend on Christmas Eve, Shinji?" Shinji didn't really appreciate the grin on Editor-In-Chief's face. Either he was silently laughing at Shinji, which was not at all appreciated, or even worse... he was already planning on making him work that night.

"Of course I do... just... nothing specific... yet" Shinji huffed, glaring accusingly down at his desk.

"Haven't you ever had a girlfriend for Christmas, Shinji?" Ookubo continued mercilessly, while Shinji felt his face grow warm.

The other two people currently in Ore Journal's office both snapped to attention at that. Kitaoka Shuichi tilted his head and pursed his lips, entirely too amused by the unexpected scene that was developing. Shimada, meanwhile, looked up from her computer, an unsettling grin plastered on her face.

"Has Shinji ever _had_ a girlfriend before?" she asked.

"Of course I have!" Shinji jumped to his feet, feeling the comment as a direct slight to his manhood. "Why would you think I--"

"A little girl you held hands with in the playground when you were seven doesn't count," Kitaoka drawled.

"You... shut up! Why are you even here? You don't work here!"

"I'm waiting for Reiko-san to return. I wanted to ask whether she would prefer to have dinner at Le Croc or Million Points. For our Christmas date."

Shinji narrowed his eyes at Kitaoka, but any response he might have had was cut off by Editor-In-Chief suggesting if he wasn't going to be busy, maybe he could hold down the fort in case any news broke.

"N...no! I just haven't figured out what we should..."

"Dinner at a five star restaurant, perhaps?" Kitaoka supplied smoothly.

"Five... star?" Shinji didn't want to think what a meal at place the like of which Kitaoka frequented might cost. He could barely afford noodle stands as it was.

"A moonlight cruise of Tokyo Bay would be even better, however. A nice, unexpected surprise, coming from you."

"...What does _that_ mean, Kitaoka-san!"

"Champagne, naturally, is a requirement. Dom Perignon is far superior to Korbel."

"Dom Perig..."

"Shinji-kun looks so pale, like he might faint any moment," Shimada pointed out gleefully, ostensibly for their boss's benefit.

"I'm not gonna--"

"And women always appreciate jewelry as gifts. I doubt Miho-san is an exception."

"--Jewelry?"

"Diamond studs, perhaps. Tastefully elegant."

"Dia--"

"Just ignore him, Kido-kun," all eyes turned towards Reiko, standing just inside the door with her arms crossed in obvious disapproval. Kitaoka's face lit up with a smile at the sight of her and he immediately stood up and started to make his way over, only to be met with an accusing glare.

"Stop teasing him."

"Don't look at me like that, Reiko-san" he pleaded with perfectly feigned innocence.

"Don't whine, you're not a 5 year old."

"But I'm perfectly sincere in my advice! Christmas is a chance for a man to prove his love for the woman in his life. It's only natural that to do so involves money, that's the way the world works."

Reiko gave him an implacable stare before walking past him towards her desk.

"Don't listen to a single thing he says, Kido-kun. How much a man spends has absolutely nothing to do with how much he cares," she gave Kitaoka a brief, scathing glance.

"You wound me, Reiko-san! Are you implying my feelings for you--"

"All intelligent women know it, and I'm sure Miho is no exception," Reiko continued, effectively cutting Kitaoka off.

Kitaoka sighed extravagantly, the picture of misunderstood misery. It was then that Reiko noticed the single rose on her desk. She stared at it a moment before looking up at Kitaoka accusingly.

"You're impossible," Reiko said finally.

Kitaoka inclined his head, perhaps to hide the small, self-satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

"I'll take my leave now, my dear," he murmured, holding her eyes a moment before turning to look around the small office at the rest of them. "If you all will excuse me, I must be going."

[...]

In spite of Reiko's words, Shinji spent the afternoon worrying and glaring at nothing in particular. He couldn't get the things Kitaoka had said out of his head. It wasn't that he didn't believe Reiko, it was just that... a man should be able to do nice things for his girl, even if he couldn't afford stupid bottles of champagne. He knew that Miho didn't care that he was poor (if she did, she wouldn't be with him in the first place), but he really liked her, and he wished he could have taken her somewhere nice, or gotten her a nice present. But his scooter had broken down not two weeks ago, and his landlady had been threatening to throw him out of his apartment if he didn't pay the rent on time, and so he was even more broke than usual. So broke that just this morning when he'd seen that Atori, the little tea house he sometimes went to, was looking for part-time help, he'd actually considered applying.

It was just that there was that new waiter there, the last couple of weeks. Ron, or something like that. A really unfriendly-looking type, always dressed in black, and looking like he was the sort to pick fights in bars and stuff. He'd probably been in jail too! Shinji didn't really like people like that. And Ron didn't seem like he liked Shinji either. But maybe he should apply for the job anyway.

And embarrasing as it was to admit, he really hadn't had a girlfriend during Christmas before, and Miho hadn't said anything, so now he was feeling bad about the whole thing.

He was still thinking about it as walked towards the train station that night (his scooter still wasn't fixed), and he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it took him awhile to realize that he was being followed. When he finally did, he ducked behind a corner, ready to surprise his stalker when he came around it. Unfortunately, he didn't have any appropriately heavy blunt objects in hand, and so had to settle for a sound whack on the head with his messenger bag.

It was even more unfortunate that the one following him wasn't a stalker, but Yura Goro, Kitaoka's secretary, who reacted instinctively to the would-be attack by blocking the bag and then delivering a sound jab to Shinji's stomach.

"...Ow."

"Oh... it's you. Sorry."

"Why are you _stalking_ me?" Shinji mumbled indignantly, from where he was doubled over.

"I wasn't stalking you."

"You were so!"

Instead of bothering to deny it again, Goro merely helped Shinji straighten up. "I had something to say."

Shinji gave him one last disgruntled glare, before resorting to mumbling grumpily that Goro could have just called out to him, and what was it he wanted to talk about.

"Sensei was talking about what happened at Ore Journal."

Shinji gave him a sideways glance. He was on the verge of just denying everything when Goro continued.

"You shouldn't take what sensei says too seriously."

Shinji didn't reply, he simply folded his arms and waited.

"Reiko-san says you make really good gyoza," Goro said.

"Eh? She does?" Shinji couldn't help but break out into a grin at that. Reiko's opinion was important to him, even if it was about something small like his cooking.

"She does," Goro paused a moment before going on "I like to cook for people I care about. It makes me happy to make them happy."

Shinji frowned a moment, before realizing what Goro was getting at.

"Oooh. You think that's enough?"

"Yes, I do."

[...]

On Christmas Eve, Shinji stood by his scooter, waiting for Miho outside the train station where they'd agreed to meet. He'd wanted to pick her up at her place, but she'd said she had errands to run and that it was easier that way.

"It'd be even easier if you'd tell me where we're going and we just met there, Shinji," she'd pointed out teasingly, which had led Shinji to grumble and stutter about it being a surprise and how that would ruin it. She'd just laughed and said he was so cute like this, planning out a Christmas date.

Shinji hated waiting. He always had, but he particularly hated to wait for Miho, especially at times like this. They'd been dating about 3 months now, and had known each other and hung out even longer, but he was still insecure, deep down, about a girl like Miho liking him and going out with him. Also, she tended to run late, and that didn't help keep him from feeling antsy.

He was busy trying to surreptitiously catch a glance at the watch the guy next to him was wearing when she stopped in front of him.

"Hi Shinji," she said brightly.

"You're late," he couldn't help himself from muttering. She grinned in reply.

"We said seven! I'm actually early!"

"We said six thirty! Six--!"

Whatever he'd been about to say was cut off  by Miho leaning in to kiss him briefly, and he forgot all about how much he hated waiting and her tendency to be a little late.

"Merry Christmas, Shinji," she whispered brightly.

[...]

"Don't look! I told you not to look!"

"I have to look, or I'll fall, Shinji! ...Isn't this your neighbourhood?"

In retrospect, Shinji supposed that he should have had a scarf or something ready to blindfold  Miho so she wouldn't see where they were going. But hindsight is 20/20, and Shinji hadn't really expected her to be so difficult about the whole thing. Or rather he hadn't realized until she was slipping her helmet on as she sat on the back of his scooter, smiling as she asked where they were going, that if she saw them drive to his apartment a home-cooked dinner wouldn't be much of a surprise. So he'd come up with the impromptu plan of asking her to keep her eyes closed and just hang on tight, but actually getting Miho to refrain from doing something she'd been asked not to do was, at best, easier said than done, and at worst, an exercise in futility.

"Just... CLOSE your eyes, Miho! You're not going to fall off!" he called back at a stoplight.

"But--"

"It's supposed to be a surprise," he muttered.  
   
"Fine," she sighed audibly behind him.

He glanced back, and was relieved to see she had indeed closed her eyes. They drove the last couple of blocks in silence, until he parked his scooter and turned off the engine.

"Can I open my eyes now, Shinji?"

"No! Just wait! I'll help you."

Miho smile slightly as she sat waiting, eyes closed, for Shinji to help her off her bike. He led her through the door and up the narrow stairs, all the while checking to make sure she didn't open her eyes. At one point, as they started up the stairs, she started to crack up open an eye, only to laugh and close it again as soon as she saw him glaring at her. She did, however, complain the entire way up at the stairs.

Once inside his tiny one bedroom apartment, Shinji looked around to make sure everything was as he'd left it. Not that there was much he could with the place, but Reiko had given him several very nice candles, which he hurried to light now while yelling again at Miho not to look. Then he quickly slipped on an apron and tugged her towards the small kitchen on one side of the room.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now," he said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt. Miho had never actually been in his apartment before.

She opened her eyes and blinked to adjust to the candles' light, looking a little confused.

"Shinji?" she said expectantly, smiling a little at the apron.

"I'm going to cook you dinner!" he huffed in a hurry.

She grinned at him and looked around. "This is your apartment?"

"I know it's really small--" he started, only to be cut off as she placed a finger against his lips.

"I'd love dinner. No one's cooked dinner for me since..."

He knew she had been going to say since her sister and wasn't quite sure how to respond. But she simply leaned up and hugged him, whispering "Thank you" in his ear.

[...]

They had dinner sitting crosslegged on Shinji's bed, since there was no space in his apartment for a table, and it didn't really seem appropriate to him to ask his girlfriend to eat dinner standing by the counter. After thanking him again for dinner and insisting that his gyoza was delicious, Miho smiled secretively and got up.

"Your turn to close your eyes," she said, crossing the room to where she'd left her bag.

Shinji did, and soon after felt the bed shift under her weight as she sat in front of him.

"You can open them now."

He did, to find her holding a small wrapped box out to him. "I know we said no presents, but it's a small thing, and I couldn't resist. Besides, you cooked me dinner."

Shinji gave her a faintly reproachful look before taking the box and unwrapping. Then stared down dumbfounded at the pristine white shoelaces inside.

"It's just that you can never seem to remember to tie your shoes, and your laces are all old and dirty because you step on them all the time, and you should really try to remember to tie them, Shinji. I can't be around to do it all the time," she said, her lips quirking into a smile as her brow furrowed briefly into a mock frown.

Shinji, as was often the case with Miho, wasn't quite sure how to react to that. Miho laughed lightly and leaned forward, brushing her lips over his.

"But that's only half your present," she added, smiling against his lips.

  


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